Nikolaj Ehlers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nikolaj Ehlers
Ehlers in 2014
Born	(1996-02-14) 14 February 1996 (age 29) Aalborg, Denmark
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	172 lb (78 kg; 12 st 4 lb)
Position	Forward
Shoots	Left
NHL team Former teams	Carolina Hurricanes EHC Biel Winnipeg Jets
National team	Denmark
NHL Draft	9th overall, 2014 Winnipeg Jets
Playing career	2015–present

Nikolaj Ehlers (born February 14, 1996) is a professional ice hockey player from Denmark. He plays as a forward for the Carolina Hurricanes in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Before joining the NHL, Ehlers played hockey in Switzerland. His father, Heinz, was a coach there. In 2013, Nikolaj moved to North America. He played for the Halifax Mooseheads in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). After one year, the Winnipeg Jets picked him ninth overall in the 2014 NHL entry draft. He played one more season in junior hockey before starting his NHL career in 2015.

Nikolaj Ehlers has also played for Denmark on the international stage. He has represented his country at both junior and senior levels. This includes playing in three World Championships.

Nikolaj Ehlers' Hockey Journey

Starting in Switzerland

Nikolaj Ehlers began playing youth hockey in Switzerland. He was part of the EHC Biel team. When he was 16, he made his debut in the top Swiss league, the National League A. This made him the youngest player in the league at that time.

During the 2012–13 NLA season, some NHL players joined his team because of a lockout. These players, Patrick Kane and Tyler Seguin, helped convince Ehlers to move to Canada. They suggested he play for junior teams there.

Playing in Junior Leagues

Ehlers' skills in Switzerland caught the eye of North American teams. In 2013, the Halifax Mooseheads picked him sixth overall in the CHL Import Draft. Before joining the Mooseheads, Ehlers talked to other Danish players, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Mikkel Bødker. They helped him get ready for the big change.

Ehlers quickly made a big impact in the CHL. He led all new players with 8 goals and 9 assists in his first 16 games. Even though he missed some games for the 2014 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, he still led all rookies with 56 points. He was ranked 22nd among North American skaters for the 2014 NHL entry draft.

He finished his first season with an amazing 104 points in 63 games. For his great rookie year, Ehlers won the RDS Cup as Rookie of the Year. He also received the Michael Bossy Trophy as the QMJHL's Top Prospect.

Before the 2014 NHL draft, experts praised Ehlers' skating and puck handling. He was picked ninth overall by the Winnipeg Jets. After the draft, the Jets encouraged him to gain more weight and muscle.

In September 2014, Ehlers signed a three-year contract with the Jets. He then played in some preseason games before returning to the Mooseheads for the 2014–15 QMJHL season. He was named an alternate captain. Ehlers continued to play very well, scoring 32 points in 11 games in November. He even had three games where he scored five goals and eight assists.

He also represented Denmark at the 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. Ehlers kept scoring points, even breaking a 29-game point streak record. He finished his second season with 101 points in 51 games. He won the Paul Dumont Trophy as the QMJHL's "Personality of the Year."

In the 2015 playoffs, Ehlers scored the winning goal in overtime of Game 7. This helped the Mooseheads move to the next round. He finished the playoffs with 31 points in 14 games.

Becoming a Professional Player

Winnipeg Jets (2015–2025)

After his junior career, Ehlers joined the Jets' training camp. He had gained 15 pounds, as recommended by the team. At 19 years old, he was the youngest player on the Jets' opening night roster. He made his NHL debut on October 8, 2015.

Ehlers scored his first NHL goal on October 13 against the New York Rangers. He had some ups and downs in his first season. But on January 26, 2016, he scored his first NHL hat-trick against the Arizona Coyotes. He finished his rookie season with 15 goals and 23 assists for 38 points. He played well on a line with Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler.

For the 2016–17 NHL season, Ehlers played on the top line with Scheifele and rookie Patrik Laine. He started slowly but gained momentum in November. He finished November with 16 points in 14 games. By April 1, Ehlers reached 100 career NHL points. He set new career highs with 25 goals and 39 assists for 64 points.

After his great second season, Ehlers signed a seven-year contract with the Jets. For the 2017–18 NHL season, he was reunited with Scheifele and Wheeler. He scored his second career hat-trick against the Edmonton Oilers. He was named the NHL's First Star of the Week for his strong play. Ehlers scored a career-high 29 goals that season. The Jets had a record-breaking 114 points and made the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs.

In the 2018 playoffs, Ehlers made his debut. He helped the Jets win their first playoff series. He struggled to score goals but had six assists in the playoffs. The Jets reached the Western Conference finals but were eliminated.

Ehlers worked on adding more muscle in the 2018 off-season. He had a slow start to the 2018–19 NHL season. However, he found his rhythm and scored his third career hat-trick on November 30. He scored another hat-trick on December 21. On January 4, 2019, Ehlers suffered a lower body injury. He missed 20 games but returned to score a goal on February 22. The Jets made the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs for the second year in a row. Ehlers finished the season with 21 goals and 16 assists. It was later revealed he had a fractured leg from blocking a shot in the playoffs.

For the 2019–20 NHL season, Ehlers worked hard to improve his game. He started the season strong, tying his career-high with three assists in the first game. He also played his 300th NHL game that night. Ehlers continued to play well, scoring his 100th career NHL goal on November 19. When the NHL paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ehlers had scored 20 goals for the fourth season in a row. He finished with 52 points. When the season restarted for the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, Ehlers scored his first career playoff goal.

The 2020–21 NHL season was shorter due to the pandemic. Ehlers started strong, scoring his first career overtime goal on January 19, 2021. He continued to play well and was recognized as the NHL's Third Star of the Week in March. On April 14, Ehlers recorded his 300th NHL point. The next day, he scored his 20th goal of the season. This marked five straight seasons with at least 20 goals. Ehlers suffered an injury in late April and missed the end of the regular season. He returned for Game 3 of the playoffs and scored two goals. The Jets swept the Edmonton Oilers in four games.

After the Jets were eliminated, Ehlers played for Team Denmark in the 2022 Winter Olympics qualifiers. He scored five goals and four assists to help Denmark qualify for the Olympics for the first time. In January 2022, Ehlers was injured again and missed 19 games.

Ehlers played in the first two games of the 2022–23 NHL season before missing 36 games due to another injury. On February 22, 2023, Ehlers played his 500th career NHL game. He suffered another injury in April but returned for one playoff game. The Jets were eliminated in the first round.

Carolina Hurricanes (2025–present)

On July 3, 2025, Nikolaj Ehlers signed a 6-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Playing for Denmark

Ehlers playing for Denmark's U20 team in 2014.

Nikolaj Ehlers has proudly played for Denmark at different levels. He first played for the Denmark under-18 team in 2013. He led the team with 11 points in five games. He helped Denmark win a gold medal.

He also played for Denmark's under-20 team. In 2014, he helped them win a silver medal. Ehlers was even named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

Ehlers played for the under-20 team one last time in 2015. He helped Denmark reach the quarterfinals for the first time. He scored in the shootout to help Denmark win their first game at the top level of the World Junior Championships.

Ehlers made his debut for the Denmark senior team in 2016. He scored four goals and two assists. He also played for Denmark in the 2018 Winter Olympics qualifiers. He returned for the 2017 World Championship.

After the 2021 NHL playoffs, Ehlers played for Denmark again. He helped them qualify for the 2022 Winter Olympics. He was added to the Olympic roster, but NHL players were not allowed to go due to COVID-19. Ehlers returned to the Denmark national team for the 2023 World Championship. In May 2025, Ehlers joined Denmark for the 2025 World Championship.

About Nikolaj Ehlers

Nikolaj Ehlers was born on February 14, 1996, in Aalborg, Denmark. His parents are Heinz and Tina Ehlers. His family moved around Europe because his father played professional ice hockey. By the time he was 18, Ehlers could speak five languages. These included Danish, English, French, Swiss, and German.

Ehlers went to kindergarten in Germany. Then his family lived in Denmark for five years. After his father stopped playing, Heinz became a coach in Switzerland. So, the whole family moved there. Growing up in Switzerland, Ehlers played both ice hockey and football. He had to choose between the two sports later on.

Nikolaj has an older brother, Sebastian, and a younger sister, Caroline. Sebastian also plays ice hockey. Nikolaj's uncles and cousin have also played professional hockey. His cousin, Alexander True, plays for the Modo Hockey. Ehlers and True played against each other in the NHL for the first time during the 2019–20 NHL season.

Career Statistics

Regular Season and Playoffs

International Play Statistics

Awards and Honours